Press Releases

Comcast and Time Warner have Lowest Scores in Five of Nine Key Metrics

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (March 12, 2015) – In 2014, T-Mobile had the highest satisfaction with customer service calls of the nine communications service companies included in the National Customer Service Survey, Vocalabs’ ongoing study tracking customer service quality at major consumer-oriented companies. Based on telephone interviews conducted immediately after a customer service call, AT&T scored the highest in Company Satisfaction, Willingness to Recommend the company to a friend, and Willingness to Subscribe Again; while T-Mobile also led the pack for Ease of Reaching a Person and customers’ satisfaction with the automated phone system (IVR). At the other end of the scale, in 2014 either Comcast or Time Warner occupied the bottom slot in five of nine key metrics including Company Satisfaction, Agent Satisfaction, and Willingness to Recommend.

“Comcast’s performance in 2014 represents a degree of improvement from last year,” commented Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “In our 2013 survey the company was in last place in eight of our nine metrics. But with the pending merger of Comcast and Time Warner, we don’t see how combining the two lowest-scoring companies in our survey is likely to lead to a better customer service experience.”

An Executive Summary of The National Customer Service Survey of Communications Services is available to the public for download at http://www.vocalabs.com/download-ncss-communications-services-2014. This report includes statistics comparing survey scores for AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Sprint, T-Mobile, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon.

About the National Customer Service Survey

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service call. Statistics in this press release are based on 12,193 customer interviews completed between July 2009 and December 2014. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective transactional customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and email surveys to collect real-time customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools deliver the Voice of the Customer to the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Bank of America, Wells Fargo Holding Steady

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (March 12, 2015) – Continuing a multi-year trend, more Chase and Citi customers were satisfied with their customer service in 2014 than in 2013, according to the National Customer Service Survey, a survey of customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews conducted immediately after a customer service call in 2014, 75% of Chase customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, up from 57% in 2011, while Citi’s score increased to 72% from 54% over the past three years. In 2014, 65% of Bank of America customers and 64% of Wells Fargo customers were similarly satisfied with the service they received; both numbers were statistically unchanged from 2011.

“Chase and Citi have shown that sustained, incremental improvement over a period of years can lead to big changes,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “When we began tracking these major banks in 2011, Chase and Citi were well behind Bank of America and Wells Fargo on many of our key metrics. Bank of America and Wells Fargo have not improved much in the past three years, allowing Chase and Citi to catch up and pull ahead in service satisfaction.”

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service call. Statistics in this press release are based on 4,116 surveys completed between April 2011 and December 2014. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective transactional customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and email surveys to collect real-time customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools deliver the Voice of the Customer to the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Chase and Citi Make Significant Gains
in Banking Customer Service Survey

Vocalabs' Survey Shows Bank of America, Wells Fargo Holding Steady

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 8, 2014) – More Chase and Citi customers were satisfied with their customer service in 2013 than in 2012, continuing a trend of improvement at those companies since 2011, according to a survey of phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews conducted immediately following a customer service call in 2013, 72% of Chase customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, up from 57% in 2011, while Citi’s score increased to 65% from 54% over the past two years. In 2013, 63% of Bank of America customers and 65% of Wells Fargo customers were similarly satisfied with the service they received; both numbers were statistically unchanged from 2011.

“Chase and Citi have made impressive gains in their customer service quality over the past two years,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “The customers we surveyed said both companies are more likely to resolve their issue during a customer service call than they were in 2011, and we believe this is driving the improved customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have not made similar gains in our survey, allowing Chase and Citi to catch up and pull ahead in service satisfaction.”

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service call. Statistics in this press release are based on 3,567 surveys completed between April 2011 and December 2013. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

To subscribe to the full data set, contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 205.

About Vocalabs

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews, automated customer surveys, and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Comcast Has Worst Customer Service among Nine Communications Companies for 2013

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 18, 2014) – In its debut appearance in Vocalabs’ survey of customer service quality, Comcast posted the lowest scores of the nine communications service companies included in the study. In telephone interviews conducted immediately after a customer service call during 2013, only 51% of Comcast customers surveyed said they were “Very Satisfied” with their customer service call, according to the study on phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). During 2013, 66% of Verizon customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, giving it the top Call Satisfaction score for 2013. AT&T, DirecTV, and Sprint each had 65% of customers give their customer service calls the top rating, putting those companies in a statistical tie with Verizon.

“In 2013 we expanded our survey from the four major mobile phone companies to include other communications services including cable TV, landline phones, and high-speed Internet,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “Comcast was notable for its poor showing in our survey. In eight of the nine metrics we track. Comcast had the lowest score of all nine companies we studied. In some cases, Comcast was far behind the second-worst companies. Comcast was 11 points behind DirecTV and Verizon in how easy it was to reach a person, and a whopping 17 points behind T-Mobile in the percent of customers who said they had to go through unnecessary steps on their call.”

An Executive Summary of The National Customer Service Survey of Communications Services is available to the public for download at http://www.vocalabs.com/published-research. This report includes statistics comparing survey scores for AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Sprint, T-Mobile, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon.

About the National Customer Service Survey

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service call. Statistics in this press release are based on 10,950 surveys completed between July 2009 and December 2013. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

To subscribe to the full data set, contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 205.

About Vocalabs

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Chase and Citi Make Headway in Banking Customer Service Survey

Vocalabs' Survey Shows Bank of America, Wells Fargo Losing Ground

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 6, 2013) – More Chase and Citi customers were satisfied with their customer service in 2012 than in 2011, according to a survey on phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs), while customer service satisfaction scores at Bank of America and Wells Fargo were largely unchanged. In telephone interviews conducted immediately following a customer service call in 2012, 67% of Chase customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, up from 57% in 2011, while Citi’s score increased to 61% from 54% the prior year. In 2012, 62% of Bank of America customers and 64% of Wells Fargo customers were similarly satisfied with the service they received; both numbers were statistically unchanged from 2011.

“One surprising finding in our survey is the number of problems customers are having when the automated system asks for an account number and PIN,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “It’s not reasonable to expect a customer to have his account number handy if he’s calling to report a lost or stolen card, yet we registered more complaints than we expected about exactly this problem. We also had complaints about systems not recognizing valid account numbers, and customers getting stuck in a loop when they couldn’t get past that part of the call.”

About This Research

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 2,980 surveys completed between April 2011 and December 2012. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews, automated customer surveys, and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Verizon Wireless Makes Signficant Improvements in Customer Service in 2012

Vocalabs' Study Shows AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile Down from 2011

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 6, 2013) – Verizon Wireless made significant improvements in customers’ satisfaction with customer service calls in 2012, according to the latest study on phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews conducted immediately following a customer service call during 2013, 73% of Verizon customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, up from 63% in 2011. Sixty-one percent percent of AT&T customers surveyed gave the experience their top rating, down four points from 2011; while Sprint dropped one point to 62%, and T-Mobile dropped three points to 55%.

“Our survey data goes back to 2009, and Verizon has had the best-rated customer service representatives every year, but Verizon customers often reported it was hard to reach a person” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “In 2012 our survey data shows a big improvement in the ease of reaching a person at Verizon customer service, and that really plays to the company’s strength.”

About This Research

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 9,195 surveys completed between July 2009 and December 2012. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Vocalabs Research Shows Three Common Problems Impact 35% of Surveyed Bank of America Customers

Avoidable Customer Service Issues Common Across All Companies Studied

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (August 7, 2012) – In an analysis of customer service patterns at eleven companies over the past 18 months, three common mistakes in customer service systems consistently drove customer frustration at all companies. The Vocalabs Customer Frustration Index ranged from a low of 18% at HP's technical support, to a high of 35% at Bank of America. This index measures the percentage of surveyed customers who experienced one of three specific problems:

The automated system made it hard to reach a person, or didn't have the option the customer was looking for. Only 2% of customers who experience this problem successfully self-serve. 39% hang up before getting what they need on the call, and 59% manage to overcome the barriers and reach a person.

Customers who have to call back have to start over. Most customers who had to call more than once reported they had to start over from the beginning, and these customers were highly dissatisfied with the experience. Those customers who were able to pick up where they left off were just as satisfied as first-time callers.

Customers can't speak to a person when they need to. Most customers know when they need to speak to a person and when they can self-serve. In our survey, customers who used self-service by choice were more satisfied than customers who spoke to a person; but customers who were forced to use self-service rated the experience very poorly.

“We conducted extensive interviews of over 8,000 customers of eleven different companies for this research, interviewing each customer within minutes of a customer service experience,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “We looked at specific elements of the customer service process to find how the customer service experience can be better designed, and found that companies are making several mistakes which drive down service levels. These problems are only about how the systems and experiences are built, and don't even get to common complaints like agent language skills or customers who couldn't get their problems resolved.”

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 8,218 interviews completed between January 2011 and June 2012. Customers of Apple, Dell, HP, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Bank of America, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo were interviewed immediately after a customer service call. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

To subscribe to the full data set, contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 205.

ABOUT VOCALABS

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) helps companies who care about customer service and need to get the most out of their customer feedback programs. We work with our clients to design and implement customer service surveys which are dependable, actionable, and credible. We use our expertise and real-time reporting platform to deliver the data when and where it can be most effective in improving the customer experience. Our clients gain a deep understanding of how their customers perceive the service experience, and insights into how to improve. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (May 9, 2012) – In an analysis of customer service complaints at eleven companies over the past 15 months, Dell, HP, Chase, and Citi customers often complained about the language skills of the companies’ customer service representatives. Customer service automation was the most common complaint overall, and led other complaints at Apple, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Bank of America, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo.

An analysis of 2,379 customer complaints collected during 7,194 National Customer Service Survey interviews between January 2011 and March 2012 yielded several other insights including:

Customers of Dell and Wells Fargo we surveyed were more likely than customers of other companies to report incidents of rude or impolite behavior.

Apple, Verizon, and Citi had the highest frequency of complaints about customer service automation in their respective industries.

Customers of Dell, HP, and Wells Fargo were more likely to report being hung up on than customers of other companies.

“Our interviews for the National Customer Service Survey are fairly extensive, and at the end we ask the customer if he or she has any other comments or suggestions,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “This gives us a look at what’s really bothering customers about their customer service experience. In our analysis we expected to see complaints about language barriers and automation, but reports of rude behavior and customers getting hung up on were surprising.”

About This Research

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 7,194 interviews completed between January 2011 and March 2012. Customers of Apple, Dell, HP, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Bank of America, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo were interviewed immediately after a customer service call. As part of these interviews, 2,379 open-ended customer comments were recorded and analyzed for this report. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

To subscribe to the full data set, contact Vocalabs at inquiry@vocalabs.com, 952-941-6580, ext. 201.

About Vocalabs

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Vocalabs' Study Shows AT&T Improving, Competitors Down

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 2, 2012) –AT&T took the lead in customer service quality in the last three months of 2011 as Sprint and T-Mobile lost ground, according to the latest study on phone-based customer service quality conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews conducted immediately following a customer service call during the three months ending December 31, 2011, 69% of AT&T customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with the experience, up from 65% a year ago. Fifty-nine percent of Sprint customers gave the experience their top rating, down 12 points from the end of 2010; while T-Mobile posted a 17-point drop to end 2011 at 48% “Very Satisfied.” Verizon was effectively unchanged at 60% satisfaction.

“Providing a consistently high-quality customer service experience requires ongoing commitment and focus throughout an organization,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “When companies get distracted, or focus on only one part of their customer experience or product portfolio, the overall customer experience can suffer. We will be watching Sprint and T-Mobile in 2012 to see if they can recover the ground lost in 2011.”

About This Research

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 8,086 surveys completed between July 2009 and December 2011. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

About Vocalabs

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.

Apple’s Lead in Tech Support Quality Continues to Slip in Consumer Survey

Vocalabs' Study Also Shows Fewer Complaints about Language Skills and Support Cost at Apple

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (February 2, 2012) – Apple continues to lead Dell and HP in customer service quality for phone-based technical support, but Apple’s support satisfaction among surveyed customers dropped significantly over the past 18 months, according to the latest study conducted by Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs). In telephone interviews immediately following a support call, 54% of Apple customers were “Very Satisfied” with the experience during the last six months of 2011, compared to 44% of Dell customers and 49% of HP customers. Apple’s satisfaction score is down 19 points from the first half of 2010, while Dell and HP have generally held steady over the past two years.

Looking at common complaints in 2011, less than 1% of Apple customers surveyed complained about the language skills of the support technician; much fewer than the 8% of Dell customers and 10% of HP customers with similar issues. Many customers also complained about the extra cost of out-of-warranty tech support, but Apple saw fewer complaints here, too. About 1% of Apple customers volunteered a cost complaint in this study, as compared to 6% of Dell customers and 6% of HP customers.

“Despite its significant decline, Apple continues to lead our survey in overall tech support quality,” said Peter Leppik, CEO of Vocalabs. “But where Apple used to be well ahead in nearly every measure of service quality, there are now areas where Apple is tied with, or even behind, its competitors.”

About This Research

The National Customer Service Survey (NCSS) tracks customer service quality in several industries, using telephone interviews conducted with a customer immediately after a customer service experience. Statistics in this press release are based on 4,852 surveys completed between May 2008 and December 2011. The NCSS is underwritten and conducted by Vocalabs, independently of any of the companies covered.

About Vocalabs

Vocal Laboratories Inc. (Vocalabs) specializes in building effective customer feedback programs designed to measurably improve the customer experience. We use a combination of immediate live interviews and panel research to collect customer feedback tailored to each client's business goals. Our reporting tools serve the entire client organization, from executives to front-line customer service, and our unique expertise ensures ongoing improvement. Learn more at www.vocalabs.com.